Drain board



Nov. 15, 1938. T. .1. LITLE, JR

DRAIN BOARD Filed June 18, 1937 Patented Nov. 15, 1938 DRAIN BOARD- Thomas J. Litle, Jr., Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 18, 1937, Serial No. 148,975

6 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in laundering machines and relates more particularly to a drain or drip board adapted to be used with a clothes drier or extractor or a drainboard to be used in connection with that type of laundering. machine in which an extractor or clothes drying apparatus is mounted on a common .base with a washing machine.

In laundering machines of the type wherein a pair of vats are employed, one for containing elements for washing the clothes and the other forcontaining mechanism for substantiallydrying the clothes, the washing and drying vats are usually mounted in juxtaposition upon a commonv base. To prevent drippage of fluid on the floor as the clothes are being transferred from the washing vat to the drying or extractor vat, it has been customary to utilize some form of drainboard between the washing vat and the extractor vat adapted to cause such drippage to drain back into the washing vat.

In addition to preventing drippage of fluid on to the floor as the clothes are transferred from the washer to the extractor, it is desirable to provide means for preventing drippage as the clothes are transferred froman external vessel, such as a laundry tray, to the extractor or from the extractor to the external vessel. Several forms of drainboards have been used to meet these several requirements. One of the most common is to provide a fixed drainboard between the extractor and the washer and utilize the under surface of the cover of the extractor vat as a second drainboard. A second is to provide a single drainboard pivoted on a horizontal axis and movable from a position on one side of the vat to a diametrically opposed position on the opposite side of the vat, as shown in Nelson Patent- No. 2,007,112, filed December 8, 1932 and issued July 2, 1935. Still another is to provide a single drainboard rotatable to various circumferential positions with respect to the extractor so that the drainboard may be located with respect to the extractor in the position desired to prevent drippageon the floor. The latter type of drainboard is the most convenient since it may be moved to any circumferential position wlthrespect to the extractor vat and is the least expensive to build. However, it is difilcult to support the drainboard on the extractor vat rigidly in position and still enable it to be easily and conveniently rotated about the upper circumferential edge 01 the vat.

An object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive drainboard structure which is easy to operate and may be quickly moved from one position to another circumierentially of the extractor vat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a drainboard, for the extractor of a laundering ma- 5 chine which may be supported on the upper circumierential edge of the extractor vat rigidly in position and which nevertheless may be easily and quickly rotated to any desired position circumferentially of the vat.

More specifically, my invention contemplates the provision 01 an extractor vat having a circumferential groove adjacent its upper edge and a down-turned upper lip, and the provision of a drainboard having a plurality of rollers extendl5 ing into said groove and having a plurality of elements or fingers confined beneath said downturned lip, whereby the drainboard is rigidly supported in a substantially horizontal position and yet may be quickly and conveniently moved on said rollers so as to extend from the extractor vat in any desired position circumferentially thereof.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view indicating a laundering machine having a washing vat, and an extractor vat with my novel drainboard structure mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure lshowing the drainboard and the extractor, the means by which the drainboard is mounted on the extractor vat and the relative position of the drainboard with respect to the washing vat;

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line Figure 3.

Although my novel drainboard structure, generally indicated by the numeral II, is adapted to be used with an extractor mounted separately from a washing machine, it has been shown in use on the extractor vat i2 of a laundering machne. The extractor vat I2 is mounted on a common base, not shown, in juxtaposition to a washing vat l3 containing the usual means, such as an agitator or dolly H, for washing clothes. 5 The general construction may be similar to that shown, for example, in Nelson Patent No. 2,007,- 112, filed December 8, 1932 and issued July 2, 1935.

The extractor vat H has mounted therein any 55 suitable means for drying clothes, such as a rotatable perforated basket I! which, since it does not constitute a part of my present invention,-

. upper circumferential edge, the side walls of the vat are bent andrebent to form an outwardly and downwardly extending lip l1. completely encircling the vat. The groove l6 and the curled lip I! not only serve to strengthen the upper edge of the vat, but are also adapted to receive elements for supporting the drainboard, as will be later described.

The drainboard ll comprises a flat plane surface II, the outer edge of which-is curled downward slightly, as indicated at IS, and the inner edge of which is curled upward, as indicated at 2|. The inner curled edge extends over the upper circumferential edge or lip of the extractor vat to form a bridge portion 22 to prevent leakage of fluid downward along the sides of the vat. The side edges of the drainboard are provided with upwardly extending flanges 23 which are adapted to confine and direct the flow of fluid on the drainboard surface ll. The drainboard, while it may be die-cast of an aluminum alloy, is preferably a stamping or an iron casting because it may be made more cheaply by either of the latter two methods.

Formed integral with the bottom of the drainboard are a plurality of bosses 24 which are adapted to receive brackets 28 and 21 which'may be screwed in or otherwise secured to the bosses. The inner ends of the brackets 28 and 21 are bent upward, as indicated at", and serve as a support for rollers 29. The rollers may be made of rubber and may each be provided with a central sleeve 30. The rollers may be mounted on the brackets by means of rivets II which serve as shafts for the rollers and with respect to which the sleeves are rotatable. The rollers are supported by the brackets in such position that the centers of the rollers lie on a circle, of which the center of the extractor vat is the center. Each of the rollers lies in the channel or groove it which extends circumferentially of the extractor vat.

Extending upward from each of the brackets 26 and 21 is a finger 32. The fingers may be integral with the brackets or riveted thereto as indicated at 33. Each of the fingers lies in the downwardly curled lip l1 formed at the upper edge, of the extractor and bears against the outer wall of the downwardly curled lip. The combination of the rollers 29 and the fingers 32, spaced around the circumference of the extractor vat holds the drainboard rigidly in position with the dr ainboard surface ll slightly inclined downward away from the extractor vat. Further, the rollers, since they lie in the groove it, serve to support the bridge portion 22 of the drainboard in spaced relation to the curled lip I! of the vat so that when the drainboard is rotated the upper curled surface of the lip of the vat is not marred. The drainboard may be easily and conveniently moved on the rollers to extend from the vat in any desired position circumferentially thereof.

It will be apparent that I have provided a simpie drainboard structure which may be manufactured at a very reasonable cost, since it may be either a stamping or iron casting, and nevertheless have provided a drainboard structure which may be easily rotated from one position to another about the circumference of the extractor vat. It will further be apparentthat various changes and modifications may be made in the form and relation of the parts of my novel drainboard structure and the supporting means there-- for without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1.In a machine of the class described, a vat, a drainboard, means extending from the lower side of said drainboard and engaging the vat Just below the upper edge thereof for supporting the drainboard in drainboard'position with respect to the vat, said means enabling the drainboard to be rotated around the circumference of the vat, said drainboard having an upper drainboard surface terminating in an annular lip extending over the upper edge of said vat, said drainboard being held by said supporting means so that said annular lip isspaced from the upper edge of the vat.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a vat having a groove adjacent the upper edge thereof extending around the vat, and a drainboard having a plurality of rollers supported from the underside of said drainboard and extending into said groove, means for supporting said drainboard in a substantially horizontal plane while enabling the drainboard to be rotated on said rollers to various circumferential positions around the vat, said drainboard having an upper drainboard surface sloping downward away from the vat.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a vat having a groove adjacent the upper edge thereof extending around the vat, and having an outwardly and downwardly extending lip, and a drainboard, means extending from said drainboard for supporting the drainboard in a substantially horizontal plane while enabling the drainboard to be rotated to various circumferential positions with respect to said vat, said means comprising a plurality of rollers supported from said drainboard and extending into said groove and a plurality of elements carried by said drainboard and extending beneath said lip.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a vat having an outwardly and downwardly turned lip extending around the vat at the upper edge thereof and a drainboard, means extending from said drainboard for supporting the drainboard in a substantially horizontal plane while enabling the drainboard to be rotated to various circumferential positions with respect to said vat, said means comprising a plurality of rollers carried by said drainboard and engaging the sidewalls of said vat adjacent the upper edge thereof and a plurality of elements carried by said drainboard and extending beneath said lip.

5. In amachine of the class described, the combination of a vat having a circular groove extending around said vat adjacent the upper edge thereof and a drainboard assembly including a drainboard, means including a plurality of rollers extending from said drainboard assembly for supporting the drainboard in a position extending outward from said vat, said rollers being seated in said groove and enabling the drainboard to be rotated circumferentially of said vat.

6. In a machine of the class described, the

ing from said drainboard and seated in said groove, said fingers and rollers being adapted to support the drainboard in a susbtantially horizontal plane while enabling the drainboard to be rotated to various circumferential positions with 5 respect to said vat.

THOMAS J. LITLE, JR. 

